Engagement shoot for friend

alohahannah · Jun 30, 2015

My friend was not too keen on the idea of an engagement shoot; however, her fiance persuaded her to have some pictures taken or else she may regret not having a few made later on. She came to me asking if I would take the pictures because she wanted to help me out and get my name out there in the community. Since I am an amateur (and she is one of my closest friends) I am not charging. She understands that I am not a paid professional. Regardless, I would still like to try my best and give her the best pictures possible. I have a couple of questions before the shoot...

**I have a Canon Rebel T1i, 50mm f/1.8 lens, 55-250mm f/4-5.6 lens, and a 75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens.**

My friend is, at the most, 4'10", and her fiance is 6'3". Any suggestions on some poses and the best lens to use in this situation?
She REALLY wants some pictures made in a field. Given an open field and, hypothetically, a bright/sunny day, which settings should I apply?

soufiej · Jun 30, 2015

If you friend is not uncomfortable with the height difference, take a few shots with them standing. Otherwise, minimize the difference by having the sit or be placed in a situation where their heads are not 15" apart.

Are you comfortable shooting in the PSAM modes? I assume you are if you wish to make money on your photography. What's your plan at this point?

Posing your subjects is a large part of success when shooting portraits in bright sunlight. IMO it's not going to be any specific settings as much as judging the situation and adjusting appropriately. Become comfortable with your fill flash use and learn your metering system.

Designer · Jun 30, 2015

I'd probably use the 55-250 at between 150-200mm focal length. Keep your distance from your subjects at least 20 feet. Keep the DOF at least 2 or 3 feet at the thinnest. Keep your shutter speed at or faster than 1/200 second. If bright direct sunlight, use a large white reflector to get light in their eye sockets and under their chins.

Derrel · Jun 30, 2015

Getting the head heights set properly is a basic task of the portrait artist. There are a lot of ways to get the right head height spacing...one person seated, the other standing, poses where the subjects are leaning on or over objects, etc. For example, two people of greatly different heights but seated at a small outdoor cafe table...when they lean over and kiss or bring their heads close to one another, the height difference basically disappears. On side-hills, if he walks on the down-slope side, and she is on the up-slope side, well, she is elevated to about the right height difference, which is around half of a head-height. Just be aware of their height difference...the head height difference they have when each is standing normally does not always need to be fussed over, or optimized, but on a lot of half-body and tighter shots, you really do want to get the head heights to that half-a-head difference, or the images look, well...weird.

Some good advice is above. My advice is to hunt through Pinterest or photographers' portfolio sites, and find some specific poses/types of photos you want to do at the "type" of location the set will be shot in (you mentioned a field...so first FIND a field and get permission to shoot there). LOAD those onto your smartphone, and take them with you to the shoot. Having real photos to look at will help you.